


The way to Paradise

by Drowned_Ophelia



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-10 18:18:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10444155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drowned_Ophelia/pseuds/Drowned_Ophelia
Summary: Congratulations! You're one of Aether Paradise's new employees! It's your first day on the job, so that means it's time for training! Unfortunately... The man tasked with showing you the ropes doesn't seem too keen it. You'll have to try your hardest to impress and get along with him! Good luck!





	1. Chapter 1

To say you were more excited than you’ve ever been in your entire life would be an understatement. Here you finally were, after the initial interview and all the testing to make sure you were qualified: Aether Paradise. During your orientation you’d been a bit surprised there’d only been two other people, but didn’t dwell much on it after being given your white, spiffy, crisp new uniform to change into. This made it official. This was your job now, which you’d strived for.

Pokemon battling wasn’t exactly your forte, however you were quite good at taking care of the creatures whether it be tending to injuries, feeding, or grooming. It only made sense you’d want to work at an organization that cared so much about Pokemon welfare.

They really seemed to treat their employees well. The men and women’s quarters were separated into two areas that had many spacious, vacant rooms for hires to reside in. You’d made yourself at home the previous day by unpacking and now were taking a moment to look over yourself in the full length mirror. You wanted to look your best on your first day!

You’d toured the surprisingly large, white, and sterile looking facility a few times in the past. Working here now and being allowed to have more access… That seemed a bit more daunting. A lot looked the same… What if you got lost?

Much to your relief, there was nothing to fear! You were going to be trained in by someone the all too kindly Professor Wicke assured you knew this ins and outs of this place like the back of his hand. With a small notebook in your grasp, prepared to write down anything you deemed important, you were going to meet with her now. You soon found her standing next to a man of average height with blonde hair and, most notably, large green glasses on his face. When he saw you approaching you stopped dead in you tracks when you noticed a condescending sneer come across his features.

This was when Professor Wicke grabbed his wrist tightly while still keeping a friendly smile on her face. “Now Faba, we’re going to be nice as can be to the new employees because we’re very lucky to have them, right?”

Just how strong was this woman? Her knuckles were turning white and yet she didn’t show any strain from keeping the man in such a crushing grasp.

Faba was wincing in pain. “Y-yes, of course,” he managed to stammer, easing up and rubbing his wrist when she let him go. “I’m… Just unaccustomed to training and I only hope I’ll do an adequate job.” He forced a half smile of his own which seemed good enough to please Wicke.

You continued forward, holding out your hand as you introduced yourself. He did the same and reluctantly accepted your handshake, barely grasping your fingertips weakly for a moment before he quickly withdrew it.  
  
“Well then…” Faba wiped his hand on his jacket. “We’ll be starting with the conservation area today.” He glanced at what you were carrying. “I see you brought a notebook! Good, because everything I tell you will be very valuable information!”

You followed Faba to the elevator and the two of you made your way to the top floor. You knew this area well and were so thrilled that it seemed you‘d be having some fun on your first day. Taking care of wild Pokemon who were endangered or needed some form of rehabilitation that Pokemon Centers couldn’t offer… What could possibly be better?

“Are we going to be spending time with the Pokemon up here today?” you asked eagerly, unable to stop a smile from taking up your face.

Faba nodded. “Quite… Energetic, aren’t you?” he observed.

“Yes, sir.” You hoped you weren’t annoying him and decided to dial it back a bit.

“Hm. Well, it’s quite simple,” he led you into a room and pointed at each area as he explained. “The food portions we have for every Pokemon are clearly labeled. While we feed them we’ll check for any abnormalities or how any injuries are healing up. You’ll know what to look for from a clipboard we have and you’ll write today’s update.”

Faba took the clipboard off the wall and handed it to you, you pocketing the notebook before glancing over the information that was written down. It was a lot to take in, but nothing overly complicated. You could do this! You’d have no problem giving descriptive and accurate reports!

Really, it was pretty easy, just as Faba said. More than likely they didn’t want you to feel overwhelmed, so they wouldn’t throw you into the more difficult stuff just yet. For a handful of the Pokemon it was just documenting if there was any food left over from the previous day, see if they showed any signs of illness, and move on.

“‘Crash’?” you read aloud upon seeing the only Pokemon that had a nickname. It was listed as being an Emolga, one you hadn’t recalled ever seeing here.

“Yes…” Faba sighed, scanning the air. “Just a moment.”

SMACK!

You flinched when a blur of black came flying past you and struck the tree behind you rather hard. It was dazed for only a moment, getting to its feet and revealing itself to be the Emolga, apparently living up to his namesake.

Considering what had just happened the Pokemon seemed extremely cheerful, making delighted chirps before it dashed towards you, running up your pants’ leg and onto your shoulder.  
“Well hello!” you greeted with a cheerful smile, the Emolga jumping up and down happily in response before he leapt over to Faba next.

“Yes, yes, it’s been awhile,” Faba said when the little electric squirrel began sniffing him. “Stay out of there!” he exclaimed after he attempted to get into his jacket, looking over to you. “He’s looking for his food.”

“Oh!” You took the small pouch out, Crash smelling it immediately.

In a flash he’d was back over to you in order to snatch it out of your hands and fly back up into his tree.

“He seems healthy enough.” Your brow furrowed in confusion. Mentions of Crash’s tendencies for poor landings were listed, but nothing that seemed major.

Faba chuckled. “Well, for his own safety, we’ve decided to keep Crash here. He has quite the file, if you’d like to read it; I wrote it all so it’s bound to be interesting. You see, he kept coming back to us because he can’t learn his lesson. Flying in storms that knock him out of the sky, flying directly into windows and knocking himself out, chewing on power lines that would have killed him if he weren’t an electric type. I tested and examined him to see if there was anything wrong for him to do these asinine things and concluded… Well…” He debated over what word to use. “He’s just a dimwit.”

_TONK!_

“OW!” Faba touched the back of his head, having been struck by something.

It seemed Crash’s hearing worked just fine. The two of you looked up and saw the squirrel gazing down at Faba with quite the offended look on his face, the large walnut he chucked laying on the grass.

“Oh now you suddenly have good aim!” Faba huffed, hands on his hips, you unable to stop from giggling. These Pokemon seemed to have quite the personalities. “Let’s move on. Provided he doesn’t hear any insults, Crash is overly sociable and won’t give you any trouble.”

You decided to see what you were in for next.

“There’s a Milotic here?!” You were pleasantly surprised to see it listed next on the chart; you never recalled hearing of or seeing it when touring this area. Maybe they liked to keep quiet about it since it was rare? Or was this a new addition as well?

“He likely won’t come out,” Faba informed as he saw you scanning the water for signs of the Pokemon. “Just leave his food in the dish by the bank and…”

_Spuuuuurrrrt!_

Without any warning you were suddenly struck in the face by a Water Gun, not even seeing the Milotic before it attacked.

“Oh… He still does that…” Faba had completely forgotten, sounding somewhat amused.  
  
You weren’t upset in the slightest, laughing it off. “He must have a naughty or sassy nature!” you joked while wringing out your hat.

“Lonely,” Faba corrected as he watched you. “He was abandoned by his trainer when he became too elderly to battle, and by that time he’d completely lost his ability to survive as a wild Pokemon. He was doing fine here, but he got attached to Professor Mohn, who went missing a few years ago. It depressed him greatly… Since then he’d rather not interact with anyone here and only comes out at night when he thinks no one is around.” He sounded quite detached from the situation, explaining the Milotic’s circumstances matter-of-factly.  
  
Pity filled your expression as you gazed at the spot where the Milotic had chosen to take you by surprise. It made sense for the poor old creature to respond the way he did.

“I’m not going anywhere, Milotic!” you weren’t sure if he could hear you or not, but you gave it a shot. “I’ll come and visit you!”

“We’ll see…” you heard Faba mumble, strengthening your resolve to make him think better of you.

Indeed this day involved zero stress and time passed by rather quickly. Really, these tasks shouldn’t have taken nearly as long as they did, but Faba stopped to give you information on each and every single Pokemon and then some. In fact, he talked so much you realized one notebook may not be enough, and your hand was cramping.

By the time you were finally finished for the day this alone had made you feel pretty warn out. You went back to your room, typed up the email you promised you’d send your parents about how the day went, and changed into your pajamas before getting into bed.

Despite feeling so tired you were having troubles getting to sleep. You were still pretty worked up, and eager to see what you’d be doing tomorrow, so maybe you were having a hard time because you couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Even if Faba was a little standoffish it wasn’t anything you couldn’t deal with. He’d already taught you a lot today and you could tell he wouldn’t be cutting any corners.

You weren’t sure when you finally dozed off, but it obviously wasn’t soon enough going by how difficult it was to get up when the alarm went off. Hopefully the lack of sleep wouldn’t affect your performance too much.

Indeed after meeting with Faba you were able to shake off the fatigue rather easily. You repeated what you were shown yesterday, except this time being wary of Milotic’s Water Gun to avoid getting wet again.

You remembered plenty of what you were shown yesterday, working swiftly and finishing with much more time to spare, earning praise from Faba.

“Crash has certainly taken a liking to you,” Faba commented, the Emolga’s repeat performance of missing his target before hurrying over to you impossible to miss. He even stayed on your shoulder this time and ate, trying to share with you at one point. “He can get a bit obnoxious when he’s bored, so I’ll have you go back and tire him out.”

You had no objections.

This probably wasn’t something you should be considering a perk, but boy did it feel like it. Having the electric Pokemon climb all over you and try to rub cheeks was adorable, even if your hair was now nearly standing on end and completely frizzy. For the first three days of your week Faba said you’d get to do this. If only it were every day!

Eventually the little Emolga tuckered himself out, you placing him on a little hammock that was hung in the trees. He stayed slumbering the entire time.

Before retiring to your room, you tried the Milotic again. You’d quickly given him his food and gotten out of there this morning, but this time you lingered at a distance and tried talking to him. Even if he got irritated with you there was no way he’d be able to be quick enough this time to get you wet.

…Or so you thought.

No, once again it came at you in an instant. Rather than a simple Water Gun, Milotic decided to use a Hyrdo Canon, drenching you from head to toe and blasting you back onto your backside. It was a direct hit, leaving you with water in your ears and dripping down into your shoes. Not even when taking a bath had you ever felt this wet in your life, your clothes feeling like they suddenly weighed ten pounds.

This was going to be a long, miserable walk, your shoes squishing with every step. You ignored the stares by a few people you passed by. This only made you more determined to make that Milotic like you. Even if it dropped a tidal wave on you next you weren’t giving up.

When at last you reached your room you stripped immediately and went for a towel. After this you were done with any water rides for the rest of your life.

Once again you found yourself tossing and turning when it was time for bed. This was awful! What was the problem?! Being in a new place? The bed was so comfortable, and there was no noise, so that had to be it! The only question now was, what could you possibly do about it?

It was becoming harder, but you drank plenty of coffee the next day and maintained focus. Once again insomnia struck you and you were frustrated to the point where you crying.

  
You felt like there was no hope for you the next day. You were awake twenty minutes before the alarm went off and decided to just get up. This was bad. You could already feel it was hard to concentrate; how would you ever be able to handle learning something new today with Faba? If you actually lost your job… You clenched your fists. That wasn’t going to happen. Even if you weren’t able to sleep properly ever again you weren’t going to give anyone a reason to fire you.

Thankfully Faba didn’t seem to notice as this time he took you to a lower floor. It was rather boring work today, which was the last thing that you needed. Everything handwritten eventually got typed up, and that’s what you were going to do.

Hours crawled by as you typed and tried not to doze off, Faba on a computer across from you doing his share as well. Only his fingers were flying across the keyboard, while being able to type fast without any errors wasn’t one of your skills. Still, you got your required amount done.

That night you accepted your fate and stayed up watching TV until whenever you managed to get a small amount of sleep. The next morning was finally too much.

  
“No, no!” Faba scolded quickly. “What’s wrong? You’ve never performed this poorly before thus far! Is it too much pressure? This really isn’t that difficult.”

“Ugh…” Your movements were sluggish. “I’m so sorry… I just… I can’t sleep. I don’t know what’s wrong. It’s making me-”

“There you are!” Professor Wicke approached the two of you. “Sorry, Faba, but I need her for a bit.”

Professor Wicke took you into an office to speak privately. At first you were nervous, but all she wanted to know was what you thought so far and how things were going with Faba. It seemed they were very serious about doing their best to keep anyone from quitting.

You promised her you loved it so far and Faba was really teaching you a lot. She was relieved and happy to hear your responses, asking you to come speak with her should you have any concerns.  
  
Thankfully your chat finished up the day and you went back to your room.

  
No… Now that Wicke had mentioned it, it really was almost a week now. How could you possibly not be able to sleep again?! You stared up at the ceiling, frustrated by how now, whenever you were finally able to, you couldn’t get the rest you so direly needed.

You couldn’t make it another day if you managed to only get an hour or two again. You couldn’t risk screwing up and putting a Pokemon’s welfare in jeopardy all because you were unable to think properly thanks to your lack of sleep.

There was a knock at the door. Since you expected it would be female on the other side at this hour, you thought nothing of answering the door in your cute pink nightie that was a little bit sheer, your black panties barely visible underneath.

“Helloooo…” Faba sounded pleasantly surprised as he couldn’t help eyeing you up and down.

Your cheeks turned red in an instant as you let out a small squeak and shut the door in Faba’s face. You were so embarrassed you wanted to crawl under your bed and never come back out, but you couldn’t leave the person who was doing such a good job training you in just standing out there.

Very quickly you put on a robe, tied it up tight, and opened the door again. Faba was still there, waiting patiently for you to return, a thin smile on his lips.

“G-good evening,” you stammered, just now realizing Faba had his Hypno standing next to him. Had it been out before? “What… Um… Do you need something?” You couldn’t even look at him. The sooner he left the better; what could he possibly want this late?

Faba seemed a bit flustered as well at the unexpected peek show you gave him. “Ah, yes! It’s about your sleeping troubles. If they persist, I’m concerned about your ability to take in the vast amounts of crucial information I’m trying to bestow upon you. I’m lending you my Hypno until your sleeping troubles cease.” He placed an Ultra Ball in your hand.

“…Really?” This was an unexpected surprise. A Pokemon could really help with insomnia? “Thank you, Faba. That’s very thoughtful!”

“It is, isn’t it,” Faba agreed with an arrogant smirk. “Well, I won’t keep you up. You can return him to me tomorrow. It’s best he stay with you in case you wake up.”

“OK. Goodnight!”

You let Hypno inside and shut the door. You got back into bed and stared at the creature for a moment, realizing maybe you should have asked Faba what to do.

“Um, could you please help me sleep?” you asked him.

The Hypno nodded and held up his pendulum, saying his name softly in almost a chant as he swung it. You watch it move back and forth, listening to his voice as your eyelids drooped. You were out cold before you knew it.

You slept through the entire night, waking up in a puddle of drool and your hair an awful mess. It seemed Hypno had gone back into his Ultra Ball as he was nowhere to be found in the room.

At last you were fully refreshed and felt great. You couldn’t stop thanking Faba profusely when you saw him, he pleased to have helped. Until you finally were able to get to sleep on your own the two of you would be making a routine of handing Hypno back and forth at the beginning and ends of your days.

  
You went to meet Faba at the usual place, only to find him arguing with Professor Wicke.

“There’s so many of them in Alola it’s practically an infestation!” Faba protested with a flick of his hand. “Do I really have to waste my time…” He paused when he heard your footsteps as you approached.

“What’s going on?” you asked.

“There’s a Rattata that’s been seen with a bad burn on Akala Island,” Wicke explained. “I’d like you two to find it and treat it with a burn heal. It keeps giving anyone else that tries the slip but they’re certain it’s hiding in the Lush Jungle.”

You wondered if perhaps it had gotten too close to the volcano or one of the fire types living there. “The poor thing! We’ll go right away. Right, Faba?”

Faba sighed while Wicke smiled at you. A bit slow on the uptake you then realized this wasn’t exactly the type of work Faba was too keen on. You, on the other hand, were eager to get out of Aether Paradise for awhile. If you did most of the work managing to grab the Ratatta surely Faba wouldn’t be too irked at having to go.

The two of you boarded a boat and were zipped along to your destination. As reluctant as Faba was to go, he was determined to have it done right, going over proper capture procedures to avoid you or the Pokemon getting hurt. He was more than ready to start the mission when the boat docked, carrying a care kit with plenty of Burn Heals along with a carrier should they not be enough and you’d have to take the rodent back with you.

It wasn’t called “Lush Jungle” for nothing. It was completely overgrown with an assortment of plants that might have been very interesting to look at had you not realized this was basically the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack. The Rattata was most likely hiding somewhere due to its injuries and keeping quiet so as not to be found.

“We’d best start looking…” Faba was less than enthused to have to do this, instructing you to search on the opposite end.

You were combing through the foliage, searching for hole or place the Rattata could have taken up residence, when you heard Faba yelp in surprise over an hour later. You turned to see him on the heels of the injured Rattata and coming straight towards you.

“I’ll get him!” You leapt into the Rattata’s path at once and grabbed the terrified creature.

“Be careful of its-!”

Faba’s warning came too late and you weren’t even thinking about that bite these Pokemon were famous for. It sunk its teeth into your arm and you couldn’t help dropping it.

“Shoot!” Completely ignoring what it had done to you, you were after the Pokemon in an instant, Faba not far behind. He’d even cautioned you on the boat that a frightened Rattata would do this but in the heat of the moment you’d completely forgotten the correct way to hold it.

The Rattata dove into a small alcove that only you were small enough to fit in, Faba forced to wait while you continued your pursuit. Despite its injuries the Rattata nimbly jumped over a bush, you just barely managing to clear it yourself.

As you made your way over it you were certain you heard the rodent gasp, finding it paralyzed with fear, its gaze fixed straight ahead.

You were so focused on the Pokemon you hadn’t noticed the two of you had just wound up in the den of some Beedrill, who looked very angry to have gotten two unexpected visitors, buzzing menacingly.

This time the Rattata glanced back at you with a pleading look in its eyes, as if knowing you were the lesser of two evils when it came to its options. It really had nowhere else to run now.

“Hurry!” you beckoned towards the Rattata, it immediately taking the invitation to jump up into your arms.

You could feel the poor creature’s heart rate and pulse racing as you turned and dashed back for the alcove, feeling panic set in when you could hear the buzzing getting louder. You dove through it, startling Faba when you so suddenly emerged.

“We have to go!” you alerted urgently. The Beedrill couldn’t follow that way, but surely they’d have another route if they were really intent on catching you.

“What’s going…” Before Faba could even finish his sentence the buzzing was back, much quicker than you’d expected, Faba instantly understanding the situation now as the Beedrill descended from above.

The two of you had to find cover or at least get far enough away where the Beedrill would lose interest. Stumbling into a nest of these easily agitated Pokemon was quite possibly the worst thing that could have happened. If stung by a mob of them, the poison would kill you in moments.

With no other paths available you dashed into thick grass that nearly came up to your shoulders. This made it much harder to keep up the pace, but losing any speed wasn’t an option.

Cradling the Rattata to your chest you forced yourself to run past your limits, hoping that Faba wasn’t far behind. You got your answer when he suddenly pounced on your back, staying on top of you when you hit the ground.

Before you could say anything a stinger landed inches from your face. The Rattata was breathing heavily, but even it knew it had to stay perfectly still as Faba continued to shield you with his own body. You were completely submerged in the grass now; maybe this would do as a hiding spot until the Beedrill moved on?

None of you moved, even when the buzzing had faded away for several minutes. That was way too close.

“Stay down,” Faba whispered into your ear before he slowly and somewhat shakily stood up, taking a good look around before he could tell you with confidence the danger had passed.

“That was way too close…” You sighed in relief as you stood, still holding tightly onto the Rattata in case it had changed its mind now. “Faba… Thank you.” It just now dawning on you that he had very well saved your life.

“It was nothing,” Faba dismissed, coolly stroking his goatee. “If you were to be harmed while under my supervision- GRACIOUS! YOUR ARM!” The sudden raise to his voice nearly made the Rattata jump out of your grasp.

“Huh?” Nothing out of the usual on your left. You adjusted how you were holding the Rattata to inspect your right, completely forgetting that was where it had bitten you. “O-oh…”

Sure, it had really hurt, but in all the excitement you’d missed the deep gash its sharp fangs had inflicted on you. Just above your elbow your uniform had been torn with blood dripping down the cloth surrounding. Against the white it stood out quite prominently. This really seemed like a lot, and it hadn’t even completely clotted yet, so…

Faba was quick to support you when you started swaying from the sight.

“Lets sit down,” he directed. “We can take care of you and the Rattata.”

The two of you found a more comfortable spot to sit down at, Faba opening up the Pokemon care kit as the Rattata sat calmly in your lap. It wanted to lick your injury, as if in apology, but you’d rather not risk getting any germs in the wound even though it meant well.

“This will sting, so hold it tightly.” Faba readied the spray bottle which would hopefully completely heal up the bad burn the Rattata had sustained on its lower back.

You did so, closing your eyes when you heard the rodent shriek and cry out in pain as it struggled; you couldn’t stand to look at its face now. You could only hope it understood what was going on and that its trust hadn’t been misplaced.

“That seems to have done it,” Faba informed.

You released the Rattata, not expecting it to flop out of your lap and face plant on the ground. It quickly recovered, its ears flapping as it shook its head. It looked back to wear its injury had been and sniffed, looking visibly happier when it realized it had been fully restored to perfect health.

“Go on,” you shooed kindly. “Just try to be more careful, OK?”

“Ta!” the Pokemon nodded before scampering off.

“Now for you…” Faba gently guided you into holding out your arm. He first carefully dabbed at it with a wet cloth to wash away the blood and get a better look at the wound, handling it like it was no big deal. While you could handle Pokemon injuries, ones on people were another matter and made you a bit sick, even if they were your own. “The same goes for you; this isn’t going to feel pleasant.” He pulled out a different bottle.

“Urrrgh!” You clenched your jaw to muffle the cry of pain you couldn’t suppress, wincing as it felt like tiny needles where being repeatedly jabbed into your wound. You knew it had to be cleaned, but it hurt so much you wanted to pull it away from him after Faba started pouring the clear liquid onto the gash.

By the time Faba got around to bandaging it up you were trying to hold back tears. Crying in front of a co-worker, especially Faba, would be humiliating and so unprofessional.

“I’ll take you to the infirmary once we get back,” Faba said when he was finished. “I don’t want to alarm you, but you may need stitches.”

“No…” you groaned. You could imagine what would happen if it left a scar and your parents saw it when you visited home… They were always so overprotective and they’d have a stroke over this.

You returned to the boat, Faba giving you a bottled water to drink and telling you to take it easy. You were grateful for his concern; you were worried he’d be the type to tell you to just suck it up and deal with it.

His attentiveness instead was so unexpected. While he wouldn’t let you forget he was essential to Aether Paradise’s success, boasting about his many achievements, he could be quite pleasant to chat with when it wasn’t about work.

All the way back he actually took an interest in you, asking you various questions to held you keep your mind off of the dull throbbing and jolts of pain in your arm anytime you moved it. He listened with genuine interest and you felt yourself becoming more comfortable around him than ever.

Faba took you to see the residential doctor just as he promised, but you were surprised when he decided to keep you company. It was nice to have him there as the doctor inspected your injury, deciding you’d be alright without stitches, much to your relief. You’d need another checkup later just to make sure it wasn’t infected.

Your shift wasn’t completely over, but Faba insisted you retire early and rest. You did just that, getting quite cozy in your bed and trying not to lay on your aching arm; maybe you would take those pain killers you were given after all.

You couldn’t help thinking about how brave Faba had been today… He really risked a lot by potentially putting himself in harms way to ensure your safety. It was so awkward having him suddenly on top of you like that... Although… Even that really hadn’t been too bad, if you were being honest…  
  
You pressed your face into your pillow. What was with these weird thoughts of all sudden? You felt so silly getting worked up like a schoolgirl over a man being close to you like that.

After mentally scolding yourself you fell into a dead sleep, no Hypno required. It seemed you finally able to start sleeping without any help.

  
Although you’d been sticking close to Faba for both training purposes and companionship, you’d managed to get to know a decent amount of Aether employees both new, like yourself, and old. One day, you were even welcomed to sit with a group of them at the dining hall, much to your delight. You really wanted to fit in and mesh well with everyone.

“I feel so bad for you getting stuck with Faba,” one of your seniors commented. “I wish he’d been outright fired instead of demoted; he’s so obnoxious.”

“I don’t think so,” you were quick to defend, very grateful to have been paired up with him. “What do you mean he was demoted?”  
  
“Figures he didn’t tell you. You’ve heard some of the rumors about this place, right? It’s the reason why so many people quit and why no one wants to work here.”

You nodded. Rumors about why those strange beasts showed up in Alola, the former President going mad, and the supposed twisted experiments that went on… You supposed there was probably some truth there, but Gladion and Wicke seemed to be doing an excellent job cleaning up the place and maintaining what Aether Paradise’s original purpose was.

“…If he doesn’t want to tell me about it’s none of my business,” you replied after giving it a bit more thought. Faba had been so good to you it would be wrong to gossip about him behind his back.

“I’m only looking out for you.” He placed a concerned hand on your shoulder. “The guy is no good, I’m serious.”

“But he…” You trailed off when you noticed Faba had come as well to get something to eat. “There’s no way he’s really like that anymore; if you’d talk to him you’d know.” You stood up and waved, calling his name to get Faba’s attention. “Over here!”

Although Faba couldn’t miss you he seemed hesitant to come over, as if thinking it over, before walking towards you. The moment he sat down in the spare chair on your left everyone else you were sitting with promptly got up and silently took their leave.

“Hmph…” Faba frowned. “I’m afraid you won’t be winning any popularity contests associating with me outside of training purposes. I’d suggest doing your best to gain their sympathy by complaining about it.”

You shook your head, no longer interested in eating your meal. “I’m not that sort of person.”

“I suppose not,” Faba acknowledged. “I’m sure they mentioned a thing or two about me?”

“…That you were demoted.” You’d only admit that much.

“It’s true; I’m afraid I made some terrible mistakes…” Faba seemed rather down as he thought back to his past actions before shaking it off. “However! I will work my way back up and rightfully regain respect this time around.”

His determination was inspiring. “I believe in you! Thanks to you I know more than ever this is the job for me and I’ll be here to cheer you on!”

Faba seemed grateful to have your support.

  
After that day you suddenly noticed that not just in the dining hall, but in general people seemed to avoid Faba. They didn’t want to interact with him anymore than necessary and comments were made about his new rank whenever they felt he was being too bossy. Indeed, he held no power anymore and nothing could really be done if no one listened to him.

It was frustrating for you to watch, so you couldn’t imagine how Faba must feel having his brilliance be completely brushed off. Even if he’d been a bit of a jerk in the past it didn’t change everything he’d done for Aether Paradise. You kept it to yourself, but you thought it would be better to have Faba in charge rather than a kid like Gladion.

As if rudeness and being given the cold shoulder wasn’t enough, you witnessed another employee purposely bump Faba against a wall hard enough to knock his glasses off. You were shocked that someone would actually stoop so low to perform an action that reminded you of high school.

“Whoops,” he said flippantly, not even stopping as he continued on without an apology.

You hurried to Faba’s side immediately. “Are you OK?” you asked as you bent down to pick up his glasses.

“It was nothing…” Faba brushed off.

“Here…” You paused as you started to hand Faba his glasses.

Instead you were transfixed; he looked like a completely different person without them on. He seemed a lot less smarmy and intimating, plus those blue eyes…

Hearing him say your name snapped you out of it.

“Sorry!” You quickly handed them back. “You… Ah… You have nice eyes, Faba…” Maybe a compliment would make him feel better after what happened, even if it was a little embarrassing? “I’ve never gotten to see them like this before…”

Faba’s cheeks reddened as he looked at you in surprise and you were certain you were maybe blushing a little yourself; had it been a mistake to say that?

“Are you headed this way?” Faba asked as he pointed down the hall. “I’ll walk with you.”

  
The next time Faba trained you in his glasses were noticeably absent. He claimed it was because they were damaged from the fall, but you remembered them looking just fine. Either way, you had a hard time focusing and found yourself unable to tear your eyes away from his face for long.

  
Today felt rather tense. Things started off as usual with you meeting Faba. He gave you a “good morning”, asked how you were doing, but then remained silent as he shadowed you performing your tasks. During your breaks he was chatty and sociable, having plenty to say as usual, but then immediately clammed up the moment you were back on the job.

You really didn’t like how he was suddenly looming over you, carefully examining every single move you made. Still you kept to your tasks and tried not to think about it. Maybe this was a test of some sort?

At the end of the day you filled out some paperwork, which Faba took when you were finished and carefully looked over what you’d written before you typed it up, complementing you on your neat handwriting.

“Congratulations are in order!” Faba praised when you were done for the day. “Not a single mistake! I’ve obviously done an excellent job training you!” Of course he had to toot his own horn, but you’d grown to find this trait of his rather endearing. “I feel confident enough to make this your last day of training and I’ve already written up a small report detailing your earnest efforts. I’ve also recommended that you be tasked more with the caring side of our duties as you go above and beyond in those areas.”

“Th…Thank you…” You were rather stunned, not expecting this at all.

“I must admit I… Was rude to you when we first met. I didn’t expect this to turn out to be a rather enjoyable experience.” He held out his hand, gripping yours tightly with both when you reached out to it as if to make up for when you’d first met. “Good luck to you! You’ll be representing the both of us during your time here!”

  
Your first day by yourself…

You’d gotten into the routine of meeting with Faba, so it felt weird not to exchange greetings with him first thing, and you missed that friendly smile that had always been on his face recently. Of course training couldn’t last forever, but… You supposed the best you could do now was make Faba proud by hoping he’d see what a competent employee he’d shaped you into.

Feeding the Pokemon would be a breeze; you could do that without even thinking about it now. The food for each unique one was obvious and you went along to give them out their morning portions, stopping to offer any pets for those who enjoyed it.

Crash seemed to notice you were less chipper than usual, doing his best to show you some tricks that he knew and acting cute as can be to get you to smile.

You were also greeted with a special surprise: Milotic had his head out of the water. You froze, the two of you staring at each other. You’d never seen one before and he was absolutely stunning; one of the most beautiful Pokemon you’d ever seen.

Very slowly you crouched down, holding some of his food in your outstretch hand. He looked at you for a bit longer until he gracefully swam up, taking a cautious bite from your hand. You were perfectly still as he eyed you again with caution, this time relaxing as he took another.

After he’d finished all of his food you dared to reach out and gently pat him on the head. He tolerated this for a moment before suddenly diving back under the water.

“Faba! Did you s…”

No, of course he didn’t. You felt silly to forget so quickly. Your frown grew even longer. You’d bump into Faba eventually, so why be so down? You worked in the same building, after all! Maybe… It was just now that you weren’t practically his shadow anymore you feared all you would get from now on were brief chats in the hallway or maybe you’d get placed on another project together if you were lucky.

The thought of that alone sent a jolt of sadness into your heart.

Days passed and you didn’t see Faba. When half of the month passed you innocently remarked to Wicke that you hadn’t seen him for awhile, learning he was in one of the labs working on an update for the Rotom Dex. Seems those were all the rage now, but very lacking in data of Pokemon outside of Alola, and Faba was working on getting them completely up to date.

It was a lengthy task, leaving him stuck in front of a computer for hours on end. It was tricky dealing with a device that was both mechanical and a Pokemon. When Wicke casually mentioned he might appreciate a visit from you, you quickly took her up on the idea and made your way to the elevator.

You weren’t completely familiar with this area, carefully peering into windows in every room you passed until you finally spotted Faba sitting down at a desk with his gaze fixated on the computer screen. As you raised your fist to the door you saw him wince before trying to find a more comfortable spot on his chair and rubbing his neck.

“Come in…” he nearly hissed when he heard you knock softly, his discomfort becoming too much to deal with. “Oh!” he perked up when he saw it was you. “This is nice surprise!”

You were overjoyed he felt that way, smiling at him. “Professor Wicke told me what you’ve been doing. How is going?”

“Nearly done. I would have been days ago if I hadn’t bothered correcting some entries. Araquanid had two that were completely contradictory of one another!” He sighed wearily, grimacing as he shifted his shoulders.

“W-would you…” you stuttered, flustered, struggling to get the words in your head out of your mouth. “Do you need a shoulder massage?”

“I would appreciate that immensely.”

Faba undid his jacket to allow you access, you suddenly realizing that your palms had become rather sweaty. You quickly rubbed them on your leggings before placing them on Faba’s shoulders. You didn’t really know what you were doing; this was more of an excuse to touch Faba, you realized, but you should still be able to do some good.

You started with gently rubbing his shoulders up to his neck and back again, feeling him start to relax. You gently kneaded the area between his shoulder blades, staying put when he voiced his approval upon you hitting just the right spot.

“That already feels better.” Faba’s voice radiated with gratitude. “And I thought I was good with my hands…”

You could feel your mind start to wander from that little remark, stunned by what seemed to be suddenly coming over you. “I know it’s late, but I was thinking about going for a walk…” you hinted.

“I’ll join you! I’ve been cooped up in here for far too long.” Faba fixed his jacket, stood up, and started ahead so he could open the door for you.

This is just what you’d wanted. Outside it was a calm night with a completely clear night sky that allowed you to see the stars. Only you and Faba were out at this hour, having complete freedom to stroll around as you pleased.

You shivered when a gust of wind sailed through. Although it was cool night with a bit of chill coming in from the water, you were fine until the breeze started. Still you kept quiet, not wanting to spoil this moment of being able to spend some time with Faba again.

“Ah, are you cold?” Faba couldn’t help noticing; you weren’t exactly being subtle about it.

You feared he’d be the one to suggest returning, but he surprised you with a different response.

“You can stand closer to me if you’d like.”

Without thinking about it you took Faba up on his offer, blushing when he put his arm around you. You looked up at him and felt your face go even hotter; when had he taken off his glasses? It still made you feel weak in the knees to see him without them.

“Faba…” you said his name quietly, voice wavering. Were you really going to be able to say this? “I’ve really missed working with you. If… It wouldn’t be to much trouble… Could we at least try to meet for lunch?” You couldn’t resist pressing closer against him. “Or maybe… Like this again?”

Faba placed his hand on the side of your face, looking at you fondly. He leaned in closer. You realized what he was about to do, you realizing that it was indeed what you wanted as well. Your lips met and you put your arms around him. Faba moved his hand to the back of your head, as if making sure to keep you there, but you weren’t going anywhere. This was true bliss… No, this had truly become “paradise” in more ways than one. You loved your job, the Pokemon here, and now… You were falling head over heals for the man you were partnered with by chance.

Faba was smiling from ear to ear when your kiss ended.

“I think we’ll be spending quite a lot of time together from now on…” He held you close running his thumb over your bottom lip before going in for another kiss.


	2. Side Story: Faba's Competition?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faba overhears a conversation in the hallway that greatly concerns him. It sounds as though you had quite the exciting night with someone... But who, and why?

Faba’s day was just starting. He was on his way to begin his work when he stopped immediately upon hearing your name along with giggling, discovering a small group of female Aether employees talking amongst themselves. He stayed out of their notice while he listen in carefully.

“I can’t BELIEVE she let him stay in her room all night! There’s no way she got any sleep!”

“She told me he got into her underwear!”

“All guys are the same, aren’t they?”

They laughed again while Faba’s mouth was hanging open in shock. All sorts of images of you in a late night tryst with someone much more attractive than himself running through his mind. You’d been away from Aether Paradise for five days to go to the main islands; plenty of time for you to find a man and…

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the awful thoughts. You wouldn’t do that to him; he was certain of that. He hadn’t been dating you for long, but he was positive your affections were genuine. …That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be figuring out just what on earth happened, however.

“Good morning, ladies.” He approached the group acting as friendly as possible. “I couldn’t help but overhearing… It seems as though something quite eventful happened?”

“Well-” one of the women started, only to be shushed by another.

“He’ll probably get her into trouble for it,” she speculated, Faba’s demeanor actually making her even more suspicious of him. “Come on.”

As the women departed it was obvious the only other avenue that Faba had available: The main source.

You were scheduled to be back last night, so finding you would become Faba’s top priority; he would just work a bit later to make up for not starting his duties on time. No one really kept track of him and would notice anyway.

Sure enough, you were in the Conservation area tending to the needs of the many different Pokemon there. Your face lit up the moment you saw Faba approaching. The two of you had been apart for five days and, while you’d certainly had fun during your time off, you’d missed him.

If only you could show and tell him that right now…

“Good morning!” was all you could think to say while not only on the clock but right where anyone would be able to see you. In fact… What was Faba doing here right now? You always gotten together once your shifts were over.  
  
“Good morning…” Faba debated on how he should approach this. “Your name happened to come up in a rather peculiar sounding conversation. I didn’t hear the entire thing, however…”

You laughed sheepishly. “You are NEVER going to guess what happened. It’s kind of a long story, so I promise I’ll come see you as soon as I can.”

Faba nodded, although he very much wanted to hear about it immediately.

  
You didn’t waste any time using the elevator to reach Faba’s lab once you were finished for the day. There he was, typing away at something, you curious if it was work related or if he was sharing a bit more advice on his blog.

“Are you still working?” you asked. “I can come back-”

“No, no!” Faba was quick to interrupt. “I’m nearly done; this can count as a break, since I tend to cut them short anyway. I’ve been eager to see you!”

“Me too…” You felt yourself blushing a little. This was still such a fresh relationship you found yourself feeling somewhat shy about it. You noticed the second chair Faba had placed in here just for your visits seemed to be missing. “Oh, there’s nowhere for me to sit…”

“I have a spot in mind…” Faba wheeled himself out from behind his desk and patted his leg, grinning.

Now you were full on scarlet. “B-but if someone comes in…” You glanced back at the door.

“No one will. However, if you’re uncomfortable…”

You thought it over a moment longer before taking your place on Faba’s lap. He moved fast; an arm around your shoulders, the other on your chin to move you into a kiss you weren’t ready for… Seems he’d been anxious to have you back. In fact, he was hesitant to stop, but wanted hear you story.

  
When you’d gotten back the previous night you had thought about going to see Faba right away. However, that would mean going straight to his room at this time, which would be much too suspicious. Instead, you decided to check on the Milotic, hoping the separation hadn’t been too hard on him.

“Excuse me, miss, you can’t…” It was the first time this co-worker had seen you in regular clothes instead of your Aether uniform, causing them not to recognize you initially. “Oh hey!” she greeted. “Back from your time off already?”

You nodded. “I know it’s late, but I wanted to see Milotic.”

“Yeah, go for it! He probably missed you!”

“Thank you.”

You hurried up to where the Milotic always spent his time, calling out for him as you set your shopping bags down. You’d told him you’d be gone for a few days, so hopefully he’d understood and wouldn’t be in a grumpy mood. Ever since you’d managed to get on his good side you’d always left your visits with him dry, but it was always in the back of your mind.

No, he wasn’t upset at all! The moment he heard your voice Milotic swam towards you immediately, coming out of the water to lay on the grass beside you with his head in your lap.

“See? I promised I’d be back,” you said softly as you gently pet his head. “I can’t stay long, but I’ll be here early tomorrow.”

After parting you went to grab your things, confused for a moment when you thought they seemed slightly heavier. You soon dismissed it as being tired, going to your room right away.

You really made most of the free days you were given to go to the Alolan islands, placing your bags down again in your room and sitting down on your bed for a moment with a tired sigh. It had been nice, but a shame that Faba didn’t have time off as well. He promised he try and do some finagling with the schedule to try and fix that the next time around.

You smiled at the thought; you wanted a proper date with him so bad. It didn’t have to be anything special; spending time like a normal couple instead of sneaking around at work would be a nice change of pace.

Employees dating wasn’t against the rules; it was Faba who insisted the two of you keep it quiet for your sake. He was very worried about how the others might treat you if they knew.

Going to bed soon would be a wise idea. You had a shift fairly early in the morning and hadn’t exactly been going to bed at decent hours while you were away. You changed in your night gown, barely finishing when you could have sworn you saw your bag move.

For a few moments you continued to stare. It stayed still, but for your own peace of mind you had to open it up and see.

“Ga! A small creature immediately stood up when you unzipped it.  
  
“YEEEEEK!” You couldn’t help screeching in alarm, startling the poor creature so much it darted back into the contents of your bag. “Ah! Crash, I’m sorry!” You dug the poor, trembling, stowaway out, holding him in your hand and gently petting his back. “I had no idea you were in there! When did you…?” You recalled noticing when your bag was heavier. It had to have been when you were occupied with the Milotic.

Nothing fazed Crash for long. He was back to his cheerful self, jumping onto your shoulder and nuzzling your cheek.

You giggled. “I guess you must have missed me as well! It’s just…” Now you had to deal with this when you should be sleeping. Did you really have to change back into your clothes and take him all the way back to the conservation area? You groaned at the thought, when an idea struck you.

With Crash perched on your shoulder you picked up the phone and dialed the main desk. Someone was always stationed there in case of emergencies, a woman answering quickly.

“Hey, it’s me.” You told her your name, the two of you fairly well acquainted with one another. “I wonder if this is a first for this place…” You explained the circumstances, a bit relieved when she wound up laughing instead of getting mad. You actually weren’t sure if it was serious or not that a Pokemon from the Conservatory had managed to get outside of it.  
  
Meanwhile, as you were talking, Crash became bored and glided off your shoulder to explore the rest of your room. You heard him bonk into your dresser, but you knew by now not to be concerned with it.

“I was wondering if it would OK for me to keep Crash here for the night and bring him back tomorrow?” you suggested. “I know it’s lazy of me but I really don’t want to have to leave my room anymore tonight.”

“You’d be doing us a favor,” she replied. “One night where we don’t have to worry he’s getting into anything. While you were gone he pestered us so much since no one had time to play with him. Good luck!”

You hung up the phone and turned to see Crash had wasted no time in opening up the dresser drawers and exploring the contents. He seemed to be amusing himself with your undergarments at the moment, peeking up with a bra over his head.

“Get out of there!” you scolded the squirrel, hurrying over at once to pick him up. “Crash…” you groaned. “You got your fur all over!”

“Ga?” He didn’t seem to see a problem, you sighing and trying to tidy up the mess he made while he looked on.

Now that your dressers were boring Crash climbed around on you to get a better look around your room. There wasn’t a whole lot there to see. It was pretty standard with only a few personal items like a photo of your family. You did intend to decorate it a little more now that you felt completely settled in, though.

_Rumble_

“Hm?” You soon realized the noise you heard was Crash’s stomach. “Didn’t think about that before you snuck into my bag, huh?”

Crash whimpered when his stomach growled again.  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ve got something for you.”

Getting a mini-fridge for your room had come in handy several times, but you’d certainly never guessed getting an apple from it to cut up for your extremely unexpected guest being one of them. You’d just sneak this into his dietary chart tomorrow as a snack that was given; there was no harm in an apple, after all.

You couldn’t help smiling as you watched Crash dig in after you place dthe plate on the table. It was quite the crisp apple, you hearing every bite he made into a slice. However, now that the thought of how good that apple was crossed your mind, you were hungry too. A pretty good movie was on tonight, so popcorn seemed appropriate. With all the excitement you weren’t tired at all now.

Crash seemed pretty occupied at the moment so you placed a bag in the microwave and set the timer. Provided you could get Crash to settle down, this really wouldn’t be so bad. It was sort of nice to have the company, and he was darn cute when he wasn’t being a bother.

Soon enough he completely devoured the apple, making a leap for your bed. He landed clumsily, the soft blankets making that irrelevant. It was then that he decided to try and shake the juice off his chin, spattering you with some of it.

You wiped it off your face, keeping it to yourself how rude he was being.

The microwave dinged, you going to retrieve your treat.

“Oh…” You noticed Crash sniffing the air and looking at you excitedly. “Are you still hungry? Well… I guess if I don’t put any butter or salt on yours…” You would absolutely NOT be charting this.

You sat on your bed cross-legged with your portion while Crash dug head first into his bowl. He’d never gotten a treat like this before so he wasted no time in eating it.

“Slow down!” you urged. “I don’t want you to choke!”

TV was another new experience. Crash was transfixed at the images on the screen, it getting his full attention.

“No!” You gently put your hand down on Crash when he looked about ready to jump into the TV when the image of a park came up. “You’ll just hurt yourself. I need to sleep for work tomorrow, so can you just stay put now? Please?”  
  
Crash seemed to understand, nodding. That night he managed to keep his normally restless impulses in check, slumbering peacefully next you on a spare pillow. He made a few odd noises in his sleep, but nothing too disruptive.

It was the next day when you found the little creep curled up underneath the bust of your nightgown that you’d had enough of him and hurried to get him back in his proper place.

No one seemed surprise to see you walking around with Crash perched upon your shoulder. Word had gotten around about your slumber party, you enduring jokes and lighthearted teasing from your co-workers. Even Professor Wicke had gotten a kick out of your story, although you hoped it wouldn’t go as far as Gladion. He seemed alright, but you still felt awkward about how someone so much younger than you was running Aether now and was your superior.

  
Faba couldn’t help laughing from both relief and what you’d gone through by the time you were finished. This certainly wasn’t what he’d been expecting, although he knew he shouldn’t have thought for even a moment it wouldn’t be something completely innocent.

However… As he thought about the situation more, his laughter stopped. It seemed like nearly everyone knew about it. It seemed he was still at a standstill with getting the other Aether employees to forgive him for his previous attitude.

“Faba?” You noticed he seemed deep in thought. “Are you alright?”

“Of course!” He tried to seem cheerful again. “I have to admit that I am a bit jealous of Crash…” He stroked his goatee. “Perhaps I should be a bit bolder as well?”

You smirked. “Maybe… Crash is pretty tough competition…”

As your lips met again, getting back to work was out of the question for Faba now. He’d deem this as some much needed “recreation” time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope nobody minds this silly little side story! It popped into my head and I thought it was pretty amusing. Back to the main romance story the next chapter :3
> 
> I'll admit I'm not feeling the greatest, but did promise to get something posted before my week off is over. PLEASE point out any glaring errors if I've missed them.

**Author's Note:**

> ...Ahaha... Was that alright? It got a bit longer than I intended, and yet I worry it wasn't long enough to have the romance believably blossom... I hope you're interested in the next chapter! However, I do need a bit of feedback... Should I stick with the Teen rating or go full blown smut next chapter?
> 
> It might be a little bit; I still feel horrible for not updating "Caught in his Web".
> 
> Please consider following me on Tumblr: http://creepycollector.tumblr.com/


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